The Strength in Surrender
by ChaoticReverie
Summary: Maybe he shouldn't have saved her... maybe then things would have been simpler. Raphael had always been the strong one... but she made him feel weak with hardly a glance. Raph/OC


**Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or any of the characters affiliated with the series. All OCs are mine. I am making no profit from this.**

 **Warnings: Language, violence, adult content**

 **Chapter 1**

It was quieter here… so much quieter, that was why she came back every morning. The sirens and car horns seemed so very far away, and at this hour, in this part of town, there was hardly a soul to be seen. The street was hers, for now, her only companion the steady sound of her feet on the pavement.

She gave the curb a wide berth as she rounded the corner, avoiding the water-logged pothole that was hiding there. The familiarity of this place comforted her, allowing her to keep her strides long and even. She knew each crack in the road, each buckle in the sidewalk. She could make this trip forwards and backward - with her eyes closed if need be. She didn't have to read the print on the signs to know exactly which shop she was passing, having done so hundreds of times before.

'Harland Brothers Plumbing'

'Pete's Meats – Butcher and Deli'

'Black Bean Café'

She slowed her gate as she neared the intersection that marked the end of her run, glancing down at her wrist monitor to check her heart rate. A small, pleased smile tugged at her mouth as she read the black, digital numbers that blinked across the screen.

146

Progress felt good.

A flash of motion drew her eye to the steps of the café, where a brown patched tabby sat observing her, tail flicking to and fro. She cooed affectionately as she came to a stop by the aged brick stairs, kneeling down when the feline approached her with a friendly mewl. "Hey there, pretty boy. Haven't seen you around here before."

The cat purred in response to her attention, back arching as she trailed her fingers down its spine. Around its neck was a plain black collar, adorned with jingling bell and address tag. "You get stuck outside all night? Poor baby."

Suddenly the animal stiffened beneath her hand, tail puffing and ears pinning as it turned away from her and hissed out into the darkness.

"Whoa, what's gotten into-"

Before she was able to finish the sentence, a body – a literal body – crashed down into the street like a ragdoll, rolling to a stop near the curb. The cat bolted with a sharp yowl, and she stumbled backward up the stairs, tucking herself under the café archway with alarm. It wasn't moving… _he_ wasn't moving, and her mind floundered for explanations as to where he'd come from. The angle of his body as it connected with the pavement had been too sharp for him to have fallen off a roof. It almost looked like he'd been thrown, as if hit by a vehicle, but… she'd heard no squealing tires, no roaring engine, no warning blare of a car horn. So then what the hell had done that to him?

She began reaching for her phone to call the police when another body skidded across the ground, though this one was still very much alive. Dressed in all black – like the first – he quickly rolled to his feet, taking up a defensive pose as he righted himself. He was wearing a mask… what the actual fuck was this? Some kind of movie set she'd accidentally walked onto?

The thought quickly disappeared when a hoarse growl rent the air, accompanied by the abrupt arrival of what she could only describe as a huge… turtle creature? He reached out and grabbed hold of the man, throwing him into a nearby newspaper dispenser. The force of it dented the bolted metal box, and the masked man fell into a limp heap on the ground.

She sucked in a fearful breath… and his eyes snapped toward her. Her heart seized in her chest as she fell under his gaze. Was he going to kill her too?

The 'ping' of something metal bouncing off the road had them both glancing away from one another, toward the small, black object that rolled to a stop in the space between them. A small red light blinked rapidly on the side of it, and an ominous beeping suddenly filled the silence. A bomb.

Before she could even shout in alarm the turtle man was moving, closing the space between them with more speed than she could have ever imagined possible for something so big. And he _was_ big, his bulk nearly filling the arched entryway she'd huddled herself into. He braced his arms on the wall over her, head tucked down as he stared into her panicked face.

"Cover yer ears!"

Not knowing what else to do, she did as instructed, a shrill cry forcing its way from her throat when the explosive went off, the blast knocking her back against the door. Past the pounding in her head she could hear alarms chiming all around them. Her stomach lurched, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she blinked, trying to focus on the figure that loomed above her. Much of him was shrouded in darkness, but she could see his pinched expression, heard the tight, shuddering breath he took. She glanced down to his feet when she heard the dripping, startled to find a small puddle of blood forming beneath his right leg.

"Hey."

She looked back up to his face, his eyes open again, pale green and almost glowing with their intensity.

"Run," he told her in a deep, commanding voice. And then he stepped away, allowing her to pass.

She slipped by him quickly. The sidewalk was littered with the shattered glass of storefront windows, crunching beneath her sneakers. Her gaze drifted past him, landing on the small group of men that were descending from the rooftops. They were all outfitted in the same black garb, and… they had _weapons_ …

"Run!"

She started, glancing back at the strange creature that had saved her as he pulled himself to his full height, pinning her with a look that was an odd mix of worry and anger. Nodding, she turned and began to flee. Behind her she could hear them engaging, metal scraping and inhuman growling punctuating the crisp morning air as she darted around the corner, heading back the way she came. No one was following her! If she could make it another two blocks she'd be back onto a busier street… she'd be safe.

A loud, unmistakably male shout of pain registered in her ears, and she skidded to a stop, turning to peer back up the street. He was in trouble. Indecision warred inside of her. The explosion had triggered several of the business' alarms, and while there were no apartments above them, there were houses close by. Plenty of people had heard the commotion; she was sure, so it was likely that the police were already on their way. But… this was New York, and getting anywhere in this city took time. Would they get there fast enough?

'You know it's dangerous, and there's likely nothing you can do. You don't even know who he is or what he's done. Maybe he deserves to die. He did just severely injure – if not kill – two men,' her voice of reason pointed out. The other voice in her head, the empathetic one, argued that he had saved her life and that she didn't know for certain that _he_ was the bad one. Those other men… they had detonated a bomb in the middle of a street…

Shit.

* * *

Raphael groaned in discomfort, his strength draining with every drop of blood that oozed from the shrapnel wound on his thigh. He could have taken them all… if that girl hadn't been there… he could've dodged the blast. He would have swatted them like flies, but his injury was so deep it was a miracle he hadn't passed out yet. Now here he was, on his knees, consciousness fading.

A pair of black boots strolled into his wavering vision, and he sneered as he lifted his head to look at the scum who addressed him.

"It's time to put an end to your meddling," the Foot soldier hissed, hand grasping the hilt of his katana. The others circled around them, sickle-chains at the ready.

"Hey! Leave him alone!"

The clear, feminine voice wasn't something he'd expected to hear, and the red-masked turtle looked past the small swarm of men, frowning when he caught sight of the woman from before. 'Little idiot… why'd ya come back?'

The leader glanced at one of his subordinates, gesturing to the girl before turning his attention back to the kneeling mutant at his feet.

Raph watched as a look of dread passed over her features before she took off running again, the Foot ninja hot on her heels. He heard the distinct slide of a blade leaving its sheath, and knew that if he didn't act now he'd be done for… and so would she.

The blade came down swiftly and he jerked to the side, ignoring the searing pain in his leg and the dizziness that followed. The weapon shattered against his shell, and he swept his arm outward, knocking the unsuspecting soldier off his feet. The rest of them rushed forward to engage him, and he grit his teeth as he drew himself up, hands clasping the sais at his hips.

* * *

'Such a bad idea! A bad, _bad_ idea!' she chanted desperately to herself, immediately regretting her decision. What in the sweet, fancy fuck had she been thinking?! Now she was dead for sure!

She peered back over her shoulder to gauge the distance between her and her assailant, startled to find he was nowhere to be seen. Her confusion quickly melted into horror when she ran smack into someone, the abrupt impact sending her sprawling to the pavement. She tried to get up again, but he was too fast, his foot sweeping up and catching her in the jaw. This time when she fell, her head bounced off the unforgiving curb, making her teeth ache and her vision swim.

She could see the man in black approaching her, kneeling down and muttering something she couldn't quite catch. She saw the glint of a blade, closing her eyes and waiting for the sting of it against her flesh… but it never came.

A sudden grunt of pain followed by the sound of something dropping to the ground next to her had her peering through heavy eyelids. She probably should have been startled to see her would-be-murderer laying right beside her, but she just didn't have the energy.

"Let's get you outta here."

It was him, she realized, recognizing his deep voice. He'd saved her again. She felt him lifting her slowly, cradling her like a child in his arms as he rose. Darkness crept in from all sides, and she let it claim her, feeling oddly safe like this, wrapped in his scent of steel and blood and earth.

 **Well… that's one way to meet a girl I guess. *shrugs***


End file.
